Chapter Five: Furry Little Buddy:

“Hey Usagi-chan,” Tsuzuki said.

“Hm?” Anna asked.

“Why does Mimzie follow her around?” he asked. They watched Kirika-chan play with her ferret on the floor. His wife shrugged and shook her head. Mimzie was ad odd case. A furry little enigma wrapped up in a headache. She first appeared when Kirika-chan was a baby. Tsuzuki went to go check on the baby one evening. When he looked into the crib, something caught his attention.

A pair of little red eyes stared up at him. It wiggled its little nose. The whiskers twitched up and down. Tsuzuki gave it an odd look.

“Uh… what are you doing here?” he asked. The little creature looked up at him. It sat on Kirika-chan’s foot looking so cute.

“Okay…” Tsuzuki said. “I don’t know where you came from but you aren’t staying here.” He reached for the little ferret. The creature hissed and drew back.

“Come on,” Tsuzuki said. “You can’t stay here. Come on. Come on.” The shinigami reached for the little creature again. The ferret ran left. He tried to grab it again. This time, it went right. Tsuzuki struggled for ten minutes with the little creature. The shinigami gritted his teeth. What was with this little furball? Where did it even come from? Why was it here? It sure didn’t want to leave the crib. Tsuzuki ended up giving up.

Today, Mimzie nuzzled Kirika-chan on the neck. The little girl giggled. Tsuzuki turned to his wife.

“Remind me why she’s here with us,” he said.

“Let her be,” Anna said. For years, they dealt with this little creature. What else could they do? Mimzie wouldn’t leave the child’s side. Kirika-chan adored her so much. Somehow, the creature wouldn’t leave. Sometimes, the ferret would disappear for days on in only to suddenly reappear. Anna just rolled with it. Tsuzuki couldn’t get it.

He tilted his head.

“What exactly is Mimzie?” he asked.

“I still don’t know, baby,” Anna said. The ferret ran into the child’s lap. Kirika-chan patted her on the head. Even Watari couldn’t figure Mimzie out.

“It might be attached to her soul,” the blonde scientist suggested.

“Like a possession or something?” Tsuzuki asked. Watari shook his head.

“Not exactly,” he said. Watari rubbed his forehead.

“It’s kind of hard to explain,” he said.

“But I thought you’ve seen this before,” Tsuzuki said.

“I have,” Watari said. “I just can’t figure it out where.” The other shinigami sighed.

Mimzie ended up costing him a hefty fine.

Tsuzuki stood red-faced at the lady’s desk. She gave him a disapproving look.

“Destination?” the lady asked.

“Sapporo,” Tsuzuki said.

“How many?”

“Three.”

The lady filled out the information on the computer. “Purpose of your travels?”

“Vacation.”

“How long?”

“Two weeks.”

She typed in more information before glaring at him. “Any pets?”

Tsuzuki threw back his head and groaned. “Yes.”

“How many?”

“One.”

“Is it in a cage?”

“Yes.” Tsuzuki sneered at his own answer. He glared at the cage in Kirika-chan’s hands. Mimzie tried to look as innocent as she could.

“Me? Why are you so mad me?” her little red eyes asked. Anna rubbed Tsuzuki on the arm and shushed him in his ear. The lady finished out the information. She printed out three passes.

“Have a nice trip,” she said as she handled them over. Tsuzuki took the passes and left with his family.

“How did she even find her?” he asked in present day.

“She’s just that loyal,” Anna said. Tsuzuki sighed and rubbed his forehead. Aside from the annoying furball in his daughter’s lap, he was determined to make this trip worth their while.

Meanwhile, Mimzie ran up Kirika-chan’s back and sat on her head. The child giggled at the sensation from her little claws.